The web abounds with places to challenge your artistic skills and whether or not you create something credible is really besides the point. Challenges should be just that - offering you the opportunity to stretch your skills and look at things outside of your normal artistic perspective.
(And I'm sorry, but I don't count group theme projects that are of the same sort each week - they don't really stretch your creativity much as they don't require you to think too far outside your usual box or comfort zone.)
By definition a challenge should be: difficulty in a job or undertaking that is stimulating to one engaged in it.
Or, in my language, something that gives you pause for thought while you try and figure out how to do it.
So, I have joined this lovely little group on Flickr called Digitalmania where there is a Challenge each week to create some (digital) art that emulates a recognized artist.
This week the Challenge is to create a piece (or 4) in the vein of Romare Bearden. The neat thing about this challenge is that I had never heard of the guy. Knew zip, nada, nothing about him. And now I do.
In order to create my challenge piece I had to do some research, check out his bio, look at his work and figure out how I might use my trusty Photoshop tools to create a work in his like.
It was a challenge.
Bearden's subject matter is not one that I regularly work with. His colors were bright and brash, which suits me but to simulate his cut and paste style and lend some authenticity to it in the digital environment without it looking too boxy was not all that easy.
Did I rise to the challenge? Yes. I enjoyed being pushed and having to think in directions that are not usual for me.
Did I make a piece of art that looks like Bearden's? Maybe.
I don't want to copy the guy but he certainly has great material to be inspired by.
And best of all, I walked outside my ho-hum boundaries, looked at something new and pushed myself to go to places that are not usual for me. Oh Yah!
So do tell, who has insprired and challenged you lately?
When was it that you departed from the tried and trusty route to create something totally "out of the box"?
And now you have helped educate those of us, like me, who are not familiar with Bearden. So thanks for that! My biz partner & I have been on a 30 day challenge to create 30 patterns. It has been so beneficial to push ourselves to come up with something daily that we are satisfied with. Also it is now really in our system so we feel at a loss if we don't come up with something daily. We take weekends off and it is so interesting to feel the loss of the habit for those 2 days. Then it kicks back in on Monday. This is the last official week of the challenge but I'm sure we will keep the habit alive in a more casual way. So I agree that challenges have many benefits.
Posted by: Dori | August 08, 2011 at 05:41 PM
Very cool piece. Now I'm going to go look up Beardon.
Posted by: joanne thieme huffman | August 06, 2011 at 11:40 AM
My husband, with a PS assignment to design something for him with using a new technique that I learned just the other week... a good challenge,
Posted by: Chantal | August 06, 2011 at 02:19 AM
You are SO right about getting challenged. It just FEELS different, doesn't it? I love that feeling. I've been feeling like I haven't been challenged, but right now I'm working with boxes (inside the box-HA!) because of upcoming birthdays and altering them. And that's a challenge because I am really having to Construct. I also loved constructing when I made that big woven journal I sent to you that is more like an OBJECT than something usable, but that can be USED in all its hol-yness. I loved a recent tissue paper collage I made, because I never use tiny little pieces of tissue paper, and as I was working with it, it metamorphosed into different visions and ideas. I loved it.
This challenge you are sharing here is really exciting in that this really is different for you but you DID IT. And your photoshop course has REALLY stretched me. So much so that I'm still working on lesson 9 (going on the second week of it). Refreshing!
Am I still talking?
Posted by: Chris | August 05, 2011 at 07:42 PM
I do like your piece very much! The fluid motion of the dancers keep the "boxiness" at bay and the musician sort of smooths it all out. I enjoyed researching Bearden and looking at his work, but nothing materialized for me. Will have to focus more on the next challenge :-)
Happy August!
~~karen
Posted by: karen burns | August 05, 2011 at 07:36 PM
Wow, sounds like a lot of the boundaries were not only pushed back, but were whacked with a big stick and told who's boss! Fantastic result - colour palette and compostion that I certainly would not have thought of without an external influence.
Well done!
Was looking through my NYC photos today - the first taken with a digital camera would you believe. I can't believe it's been 10 years to the month. Where has the decade got to?
Posted by: Cindy Lane | August 05, 2011 at 11:54 AM
Love you piece, not having heard of Beardon, after seeing his work, I'd say you rose to the challenge. In his style but still with your smooth signature. Because painting, creating art is all new to me everythings a challenge as yet. I'm always exploring, looking at new ways to texture, trying out new mediums and methods and it all is exciting to me!
Posted by: Bren | August 05, 2011 at 10:48 AM
I think you caught something of Beardon in your challenge. he is a favorite of mine. dont know where I first saw his work old art magazine probably. I do know some of his work is touring museums thru the country but dont know where! If you come across that info please let me know!. why dont you try a little Jackson pollack? he'd be a challenge
Posted by: lyle baxter | August 05, 2011 at 07:07 AM